Odd Culture Group’s much-anticipated basement cocktail bar and live music haunt, Pleasure Club, has opened its doors in Newtown and it definitely lives up to the hype.

Promising a world of live music and performance, experimental concoctions and fever dream revelry, it’s a must-visit addition to Sydney nightlife.

Located on Wilson Street, patrons descend the staircase into a memorable late-night entertainment experience and state-of-the-art cocktail lab. Pleasure Club features plush booths, pool tables a 1950s vinyl jukebox and a remarkable debut cocktail menu by Matt Whiley (Re, ex-Scout, et. al.).

Open from Wednesday to Sunday, 4pm to 4am, it is home to the first 4am licence granted to a Newtown bar in 100 years.

The 120-seat cocktail bar and entertainment and live music space was put through its paces on 22 February ahead of its official opening on 23 February.

Offering a taste of what’s to come, the launch was an opportunity to sample Whiley’s multisensory and immersive debut cocktail story, Nostalgia Machine, which aims evoke visceral memories of growing up in Australia. Think ‘Passion Pop’, ‘Vegemite’, ‘Chicken Parm’, ‘Cherry Ripe’, ‘Mr Whippy’, ‘Cheese TV’ and ‘Sex Wax’.

The Chicken Parm, for example, features vodka, comte cheese, bacon, bread crumb, tomato and chicken salt. And we’re wishing we’d ordered a Cherry Ripe with rum, cherry, dark chocolate, Davidson’s Plum and coconut.

Creative Beverage Lead and General Manager Sam Kirk said: “The drinks are made seriously but are approached in a cheeky, light-hearted way and are made to challenge your senses. We have had a lot of fun going off the beaten track and trying unconventional methods to achieve the right result.

“We’re not afraid to get experimental and do what it takes to evoke the right sensory experience, and have spent a lot of time playing with ingredients you’d never really expect.”

The entertainment ahead of opening night was equally unexpected and sublime. A highlight was a bacchanalian performance by Dane Blacklock & The Preacher’s Daughter, a band described as “Australia’s premiere satanic gospel experience”. They bring a big band sound resplendent with horns, both worn and blown, with a splash of cabaret.  

OCG Creative Director Nick Zavadszky: “It really will be a different beast depending on the occasion. There will be some heaving and revelrous late nights as well as some pared back, lo-fi shows.

“We’ve spent a lot of time engineering the journey from evening into late-night, with cues for transitioning to what we call Dark Service around the 11pm mark. You’ll have to experience that one for yourself. At Pleasure Club, you can always expect good service, good drinks, and to be entertained—the path by which you get there, though, may be a wildcard on any given night. ”

Dane Blacklock & The Preacher’s Daughter will take to the stage again on 23 February from 11pm, with Frank Sultana and Golden Scissor Puppets also playing earlier in the evening.

You’ll find Pleasure Club at 6 Wilson Street, Newtown.